The Brilliant Levels of Psychonauts 2 

I had to, this game is so good!!

Ha! I love that. :)

Unlike Cassie and Bob, Otto had a more constructive and utilitarian outlet for his woes, but the most important factor was that he never fully isolated himself. Sure he spends most of his time in the lab, but because he has the need to show off his inventions he would always find himself close to people.

@@J-manli Plus he helps the disembodied brains like Pam and Larry.

My favorite comic goes like this: Otto: "there are some psychics who think themselves above seeking help, razputin. I. Am not one of those."

@@graetestfanever1 I believe that’s the one I read, that had this “theory.” Was really a joke but hey

It's so haunting, I finished the game a couple days ago and can't get it out of my head

Definitely a wham moment. Followed by the realization that the chemical used to kill the lice is branded "hydrocide" ie death by water.

and, the barbicide-canister-thing broke open like the dam, and same with the barbicide itself.

out of context it can be funny, but it will never be the same once you realise what Lighthouse Ford meant

And he never uses mental connections again! Not to link thoughts.

@@Fawful0 that's true, I hadn't spotted that. But yeah, Raz always tries to get consent after that point before entering another's mind, and even though he is forgiven for his transgression due to him being young and inexperienced, everyone makes it clear to him they don't like that he did it and they would not forgive him repeating that mistake.

@@dm121984 It also makes a lot of sense that they were forgiving with him, since Hollis and Ford were both guilty of doing the same thing. Ford especially, since he did it to 2 people (3 counting himself).

A nice touch, yet at the same time quite awkward. Like, no one said no. It was always like „yes yes, I really don‘t want to change my mind at all and don’t want to touch my past trauma ever again, but sure visit my brain. Edit: The only exception I can think of is Bob. Yet, I still ask myself why a random plant helped him. Did the plant already exist before he fell into depression? We don‘t know for sure.

@@Adeyum64 maybe it was his subconscious seeking help

Ha! I didn’t catch that.

I also maybe looking to far into it but remember the mental rich people that just HAD to have a baby when they finally get a baby they say "look at our little >Jack Pot

The nurses are also named Barr, Bell, and Cherry, which all are symbols commonly seen on slot machines

​@Spiritotter "It sure will be nice to have an extra set of kidneys around the house!" Dr. Potts' sorta-villain arc is that his parents took his kidneys. Like a slightly less disturbing Loboto backstory. That's my new headcanon.

Even so, his brain isn’t getting down time

@@Alphapkmn well, that just means he's getting traumatized at maximum capacity.

The entire health system is just a representation of how well Raz is currently dealing with sleep deprivation

Probably got some sleep after the events of the first game, and a possible nap on the jet. Not a lot of sleep, but kids his age can go for a while.

Epic, no need to sleep.

I love this comment. 💕

For Helmut drugs is a possibility but music is one as well considering he is all about the senses and the sensations they cause the rest are spot on for them

Bob just saying "get drunk" is the most in-character thing I've ever seen of him

If the Li Po document is accurate, he planned out extensive backstories for every character that we were never privy to that guided the team in planning how the characters would interact.

He kept that from us for over a decade

Two things can be real

That's what I thought as well tbh. He talks about how his mom spends a lot of time in the greenhouse just before we discover the alcohol bottles there.

But it taste like soap to a few people

@@thaneros those people are genetic failures.

@@thaneros Those People Had Their Brains Altered At Birth

@@jamesbrincefield9879 as a kid it tasted like soap and I couldn’t stand it. As I got older I started to love it

That's a genetic thing. To some people it legit tastes like soap.

Oh, I hadn’t caught that! I don’t know, that seems too aligned narratively to have been an accident?

@@KevinHelpUs Yeah thats what I thought, if it was intentional that’s a really smart way to use a game mechanic to give more symbolisim on the inner thought processes of Bob’s mind. Psychonauts 2 is too good of a game istg

That makes it extra touching when Bob was willing to forgive Lucy after seeing her again. Helmut returning before that point probably played a huge part in helping that happen.

Fuck now i want psi-pops irl.

Nope, sounds like you picked up on a great detail. I'm sure the game is littered with instances like that that are easy to miss but are incredible little bits of storytelling.

I think you’re right!

That explains why the greenhouse where you find Tia's seed had beer bottles coming out the plants, it was more to represent Tia's drinking problem

I had watch two videos covering the Psychological meanings of this level and it's explained that Tia was drinking because of the (at the time) recent loss of her husband/ Bob's dad.

@@nobleskysisters9244Drinking after the loss of a loved one? Huh, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree

Alternatively, he can literally fregment himself. Much like how his mind is fragmented. And he can manifest his fragments even when their in the form of thoughts. Like how he's able to attach his existence to Razs mind.

Or he's force projecting

He can literally teleport Raz in the first game

tell me your persenalitys' please?

@@JohnnyMalloy not sure I'd like to reveal that much on here, sorry ~

Lots of people get skeptical and I don't want some asshole hopping on to invalidate everything I say, y'know?

@@scarlyrot fully understandable, I hope you are getting help.

@@Definitely_not_ai its been a ride, but it's manageable with the right amount of system communication

Where do you find that out?

I don't remember that. When?

@dollynho8832 If I had to guess, I would say maybe that's how they interpreted the maternity ward? You know what, I might actually take that headcanon too...

@@rosykindbunny1313oh, true. That makes sense

I agree. I appreciate how there may have been fewer worlds overall in 2, but what they had was so much more DENSE than 1. This was a great level.

I wished I could of smacked the moth around personally.

Ha! I hadn’t considered that take. :)

Yeah Many represent self-destructive tendencies, thus they're literally destroying themselves

I interpreted that as people having the means and tools to defeat that nasty part of themselves! But when we're too deep in pain and sadness, we need other people's help to gather those tools and use them. Due to the nature of the game, Raz's approach is way more hands-on that it should be in real life, but hey, we wouldn't have an entertaining game otherwise!! And we do see the characters standing up for themselves afterwards.

@@ta-theoadonis465 that’s the beauty of a game that mostly takes place in peoples heads, a ton of it is open to interpretation.

@@jeremytung1632 Yes! I love it so much!

I still love the haunting moment from the first game where you find Milla’s Nursery… it’s especially thoughtful that while the room is out of the way, she didn’t lock away those memories from the rest of her mind (after all, the door’s open). Probably why she’s so well adjusted.

Right? I laughed out loud the first time Raz said he hadn’t been to Whispering Rock in days.

I believe it's 4 full days in total by the time the game finishes.

@@BitestheStuff 5 I think. Three days prior to Psychonauts two, one day for the casino, then the final day with going through most the game.

Whispering rock took started off in the morning, and ended the next so there is one day. ROR didn't really give a date of how long it took the team to arrive and settle the matter. The Casino section took the rest of that day, so we could be at maybe 2 or 3 days. The event afterwards worked itself into the night and wasn't fully settled till sun rise. So I would have to put my money on 4 days total. I'm sure Raz would have caught some Z's after ROR and the casino. Most likely by Mio's orders.

@@FireLover7004 just for the lols, I prefer the idea that Mila and the others kept TELLINF him or expecting him to get some sleep, but he kept getting distracted with the collectables or the interns missions so a bit after the end of the game he just full on collapses in exhaustion and the interns get in a SHIT TON of trouble for not letting the poor kid sleep.

I know some people like that. “I’ll deal with my trauma after I’m done with this project.” Then they take on another project, then another, then another, until they just… Forget about dealing with the problem. Healthy? Probably not, but it still helps them move on. In his case, I guess that’s what the inventions are for: he doesn’t need to think about his trauma because he’s always inventing.

Alternatively, maybe he so loved inventing that he was detached, so the trauma he suffered wasn't as great. His "therapy" was probably a few solo rounds in a brain tumbler. Probably why the tumbler was invented. It's 100% what I'd do.

The thing that upsets me is that People think that Otto is okay, he's really not, he's intectuallizing his emotions (aka hiding them behind his intelligence)

SPOILERS: I wonder if the reason Tia Died was cause of alcohol poisoning, she probably either became a alcoholic after her husband died or already was a alcoholic but the death of her husband made it worse and she basically drank so much that she ended up dying from it, and the place she went to drink alcohol in could had been the greenhouse however cause one day she took longer then usual bob went to check on her however she was dead and the reason why the vines started to give bob alcohol was cause of the fact his mom had the vines bring her alcohol so it was basically a thing the vines were used to so it did the same for Bob

@@sevenmastergamer9261 yo! I never put that together, but it makes sense. Coming from the son of a recovering alcoholic who used to hide drinks in the top shelf of his closet, this checks out. Both are out of the way of their young children so they don't accidentally find/get into it and I believe young Bob mentions something along the lines of "You're always out there mom but your plants keep dying" or something.

I completely missed the fact someone else in the comments already pointed that out that Tia might had have a drinking problem, welp now i feel like an idiot for unintentionally putting something someone else already pointed out 10 hours ago

@@sevenmastergamer9261 hey now, I wasn't about to go comment scrolling so at least you informed me about it 💚

@@sevenmastergamer9261 that's honestly what i was took from the level, it felt that his mom staying in the greenhouse for hours into the night started to become a recurring thing because she would pass out there. they both look miserable at the dinner table in the memory vault, presumably after the death of bob's father. there's also the statue that depicts her slumped over a table which would frame her to look hung over. genetics can also effect people that have parents or relatives who struggle with substance abuse in their family. another reason bob's alcoholism would be so traumatic is that she became an alcoholic and likely died of alcohol poisoning. this would in turn lead to bob developing this same addiction as a coping mechanism to escape his traumatic memories of this, and how it ultimately isolated him from his loved ones.

He seems pretty open about what happened when he talks to Sasha about the incident, so perhaps Sasha already cleared his level, which is why he's so much better off compared to the rest of the Psychic 6?

Seriously. It’s so rare that sequels are worth a wait this long. They did a great job.

In a narrative context this is probably one of the best *videogames* ever made, and I don't think I'm being hyperbolic. It makes use of the medium to tell stories in ways a book or a movie or a show probably never could, and it does that masterfully in every way.

I hope we get some great DLC

I just beat the game yesterday and couldn’t agree more.

Now don’t get me wrong, I really REALLY liked Psychonauts 2, but I have some complaints

Plus the vaults show why he became the way he did anyway. He was attacked by some non peaceful protesters when he looked to be around Raz's age and was saved by Maligula. Which is why he has such a high amount of hero worship for her until after the end game at least and was ok with whatever she did as well including wash way any protesters and justify it as they were only non violent there. His mind is also starting to be very confused at end game as well if you go track him down in the physical and mental world.

So it’s hard to answer without giving spoilers (the other reason I left it out), but while yes, there is some to analyze (maybe I overstated), the final worlds felt more like an exposition delivery vehicle than a character study.

@@KevinHelpUs That's the brilliance of the final level... It's both. The fact that it feels so much like an exposition dump is *oh so important* to understanding the mind you're in. Every detail of that level, including certain very meta aspects tied to a certain achievement and the level pacing, directly reflects the character aspects. Consider the use of music... and of silence. Also, did you notice that the paired levels - Helmut and Bob, Compton and Cassie - are basically foils of each other in gameplay and tone? Helmut's is infinitely colorful and vibrant and full of noise, while Bob's is barren and quiet. It tells us that they're a good couple because they balance each other out. Helmut needs a quiet source of comfort to avoid getting overwhelmed by the intensity of his experiences; Bob needs an exuberant extrovert to draw him out of his shell. The Panic Attack is quick and chaotic; the Bad Mood is slow and methodical. And yet both are ultimately about bringing things back together and making them whole again. Compton's is a frenetic test of your multitasking skills with chaotic WarioWare-esque gameplay, despite its singular area structure. Cassie's level structure is mechanically disjointed and heavily subdivided, but the tasks you do are laser focused - it's Cassie's Collection because you're literally collecting Cassie, after all. But they also prove to be what the other needs most; Compton needs help adapting to complicated, stressful situations, while Cassie needs help to maintain her focus and not lose her sense of self. But both levels are ultimately about the same themes: You're your own worst critic, and learning how to appreciate yourself enough while still being willing to ask for help is important. Their stage mechanics also seem to reflect the other character's nature in a way. (Also, Cassie's Psychic Six are literally projections, but also figuratively ideas she projects on people.) Ford's mind, on another note... I think it draws on the experiences of DID systems, and the challenges of integration therapy. The writers for this series have always made an effort to do the best they can in terms of researching how to deal with mental illness in an understanding way - even back in the early 2000s where the science was more limited and the culture less sensitive.

@@FelisImpurrator I hadn’t noticed that, but that makes perfect sense. Really interesting take!

@@KevinHelpUs Also, another key note. Ever since Hollis' Hot Streak, Raz's attitude toward entering minds changes fundamentally. He always, *always* asks for permission when he can. He doesn't run around fundamentally trying to change who the person is, or smash open barriers with brute force... Because what the game is portraying is very, very closely related to the way real psychotherapists are trained to interact with people they help. This whole game is an extended metaphor for responsible ways to help others deal with trauma - in much the same way that, especially in hindsight, Psychonauts 1 levels reflect more on the idea of well-intentioned acquaintances, friends, and the like trying to help but making things worse by imposing instead of understanding.

@@FelisImpurrator That one I did catch. I was trying my hardest to keep the video under 30 minutes, so something had to get cut for time.

To be fair though, that's how all of the Psychic 6 act towards talking about Lucy initially except for Helmut.

I have no proof of this, but I wonder if Otto’s level will show up as DLC.

@@KevinHelpUs i could see that if there is DLC. If there is DLC I hope it’s just about recovering Helmut’s body. His feelings about the shared trauma are never explored in the base game but returning to the scene of it all could lead to something. I do appreciate one detail throughout the game. No one blames Otto for all the things that resulted from his inventions. The Astralathe birthed Maligula but he was never blamed. Even Helmut didn’t envision the others being upset that his freeze contraption his his body from recovery.

I think it's immensely funny if nothing is up in Otto's mind, he's just Like That

@@cias55s that seems to be the case. He’s got no loyalty, no baggage, just fine so long as he can make his dreams reality ( and maybe make a profit)

I think Otto choose to learn from what happened while the other choose to run from it.

Yes

It definitely is. Great summary too!

For me it's Helmutt's that awesome song is just too great.

Glad to help, wishing for good things for you!

Totally agree!

Yep! He's very active, never isolated, and has done "the healing". Also, great job turning his "hobby" into his actual job. He could have been just a normal Psychonaut, but nope! He's their Q.

Thank you! And I wonder if Otto’s level was either cut, or held back for eventual DLC. It’d be easy to add him in later without disrupting the main story, I think?

@@KevinHelpUs Of course! Your hard work deserves to be commended! I recall Raz post-game saying "maybe another time" when referring to Otto's mind, so it could be one of those two. Honestly Psychonauts has inspired me so much when it comes to level designs and characters, I'd love to see more delving-into-people's-mind games!

@@KevinHelpUs It could be a sequel hook. Psychonauts 3 really should happen, although I would be down for DLC.

@@prottyblue I think you're onto something. Otto literally externalizes his own trauma - it's kind of the Iron Man 3 plot angle where he seems to be trying to compensate for his failures by building bigger and better, and separating his feelings out into inventions. Also, that overlap between them? I think that might be a manifestation of the fact that they opened their minds up to each other in Green Needle Gulch, at least in part.

@@FelisImpurrator Ooooh, your interpretation on the overlap does make sense, they did mention "opening their minds in new directions" a lot. Also now that you mention it, I think Otto is the only one that externalizes his trauma through making machines to emote for him (either because he struggles with emoting or doesn't feel comfortable with it.) Helmut is well, stuck in a jar, Ford breaks his mind to not deal with it, and Bob, Cassie and Compton all isolate themselves and internalize their feelings to some extent. All in all, I think these psychics might need some follow-up therapy sessions, just in case.

I think Hollis' outright states that her mistake was much bigger than Raz's because she couldn't undo the damage. I also believe we see Hollis make numerous new connections when using her powers on Potts, unlike Raz's single new connection. So what she did to Dr. Potts was probably at least 2-3 times more severe than what Raz did.

@@Birthday888 its probable that Hollis made like 2 or 4 connections at maximun, and when the waterfalls broke it was more severe for thag

Ugh, I really wanted to do more on the comments made by the Ford Goat in Compton’s Cookoff, but I wanted the video to be under 30 minutes. Sounds like we enjoyed both levels for the same reasons. :)

@@KevinHelpUs I really loved how it reveals that Compton's hands were under the puppets all along.

Agree. I wonder if Otto’s campaign was held back for DLC, or otherwise cut for time/budget.

Yeah, that was a great moment. There’s a bunch of instances I would have loved to mention, but I was trying to keep it under 30 minutes. So glad you enjoyed it!

Fair point. I was trying to keep the video under 30 minutes, so I did cut some material I would have included otherwise.

Because it’s irrelevant information to the video. It’s specifically about the level designs and how they tie into the main story.

@@slurpwis it's just a fun fact it's just something to catch your eye and to get nostalgic. the creator has a decision to tell people about that fun fact or not tell them and he did show his reason why he didn't say that fun fact do to how much time in the video.

Hi Eli, thanks so much! I think I am going to make a separate spoiler-heavy video for those who want it! Appreciate you watching, so glad you enjoyed it. :)

Me too! I’m so glad it turned out well. :)

Thanks so much for saying so - glad you enjoyed it!

Thanks so much for saying so!

Thank YOU for saying so! Glad you enjoyed it!

But they also avoided the wonder woman sequel's problem by by having them not kiss while Helmut is in someone else's body, "borrowed lips" and all that, so hey good on'em.

I agree!

Sssh. :)

Maybe I’ll do a separate video? This is my first time covering a new game, I didn’t want to give away everything.

@@KevinHelpUs I think enough time has past to talk about it but some don't care about spoilers just like hear other opinion on them

@@xavieriwundu9601 True, and if I did a separate video, I could be as spoilery as I want. My early videos contained a fair amount of spoilers, and I learned that people who wanted to play those games didn’t want to watch because they didn’t want the games spoiled, so I’ve been trying to dial those back to make my videos more accessible.

@@KevinHelpUs Drop a spoiler warning in the video. People who don't like spoilers will avoid it.

@@Olimar92 Oh, definitely. I’d make it super clear that I’d be spoiling the whole game before getting started.

You might be the only one who noticed that, no one’s mentioned it yet!

@@KevinHelpUs I could go even further! Oleander is very focused on dirty work and being in too much danger (partially due to a traumatic event involving a rabbit that he loved getting killed by his dad who is a butcher), and becomes more of a protector after Raz goes into his brain again. Meanwhile, Hollis is defensive, focused on safety, and getting her students out of any danger, as she doesn’t want something like her well-intentioned mistake with Mental Connections from her past happening again, but it does, and acknowledges how she shouldn’t stress herself out.

Thanks so much for saying so!

Bob’s Bottles just wrecks me. Plants and alcoholism sums up everyone’s 2020.

I guess you could say we got... Bam-Boole-Zled

Thanks so much for saying so!

We’ve all been there.

Thanks so much, so glad you enjoyed it!

Aww, thanks so much for saying so! And welcome!

Aww, thanks so much for saying so!

I wish they had called this out more on 2! Agree that it’s done for game mechanics, but Whispering Rock being a special place that helps augment psychic powers could have been a bigger plot reinforcement.

Thanks so much for saying so, I’m so glad you enjoyed it!

Thank YOU for sharing!

Ohhhhh, yeah, I don't think you can really go "out of order", but I think you're encouraged to complete those in a different cadence.

Thanks so much for saying so, and I’m glad you finally played the second game!

Well the game was definitely worth it! So nice to see a sequel that isn't half-assed.

@@bunnylizard2717 Agreed! This one made the wait worth it.

So am I! (And thank you!)